This Yemeni lahsa recipe is a delicious breakfast dish that comes together in under 45 minutes. Eggs are folded into a spiced onion-tomato base, then topped with a layer of spreadable cream cheese. Silky eggs with creamy cheese made for scooping with warm bread! A dish that looks simple but tastes like it took all morning! Ready to try?
Yemeni Lahsa
- What is it? A Yemeni breakfast of spiced eggs cooked in a rich onion-tomato base, topped with creamy cream cheese.
- Why you'll love it? Fragrant spices, scrambled eggs, creamy cheese...all in one pan in under 45 minutes. Best breakfast!
- How to make it? Sauté onion and spices. Cook down tomatoes until jammy. Fold in eggs, spoon over cream cheese, and serve straight from the pan with warm bread.
Recipe at a glance
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 35 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 2 people
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 😋 Recipe Highlights: Creamy egg breakfast
- 🎯 Key to Success: Don't overcook the eggs.
❤️Why I Love This Recipe
I first came across the Lahsa recipe in a viral video. A wide pan, a bubbling tomato base, topped with a generous spread of cream cheese... I was immediately intrigued and made it the very next day. We loved it!
I don't usually fall for trending viral recipes unless they are real food that a culture has been cooking for ages. As a food enthusiast, I wanted to learn about its history and understand what the classic versions look like. But there isn't much on the internet. If you are Yemeni or your mum or aunty made this, do let me know.
What I found is a dish rooted in everyday Yemeni home cooking. Similar to shakshuka, but the spreadable cream cheese on top - that part is uniquely Yemeni. Once you try it, it becomes one of those recipes you come back to every single week.
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🛒Notes on Ingredients
A quick guide to the key ingredients used in this Lahsa recipe.
- A combination of ghee and olive oil: the ghee adds richness, the olive oil stops it from burning. Don't skip the ghee; it is an authentic flavour.
- One large onion and a generous handful of green chillies, both finely chopped. These cook down together and form the sweet-heat foundation of the dish.
- Garlic is optional, but I do add it most of the time. Add it if you love it.
- Two ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped. The riper, the better, as you want them to turn into a jammy sauce.
- Ground spices: You will need cumin, coriander and paprika powder. Turmeric adds warmth and colour, though it is optional.
- Use large, fresh eggs.
- Spreadable cream cheese: This is what makes lahsa unique. In Yemen and across the Gulf, Almarai or Puck spreadable cream cheese is the traditional choice. See recipe notes for sub options.
Refer to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this page for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
🔪 In Photos: How to make Yemeni Lahsa
This recipe serves two, which is exactly how I cook most things. Scaling up is easy.
Sauté the finely sliced onion and green chillies for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden at the edges. If you are using garlic, stir it in now and sauté for a minute until fragrant. Don't rush this step...a properly softened onion base makes everything taste better.
Add the ground spices and stir for 30 seconds. You are looking for the spices to coat the onion mixture and release their aroma. Next, add the roughly chopped tomatoes. (You may dice finely, but I like to fish out the tomato skin, hence large chunks)
Cook partially covered, stirring occasionally, until they break down and become jammy. Depending on the water content of your tomatoes, this can take up to 15 minutes. The deeper the tomato base, the better the final dish.
Pour in the water, stir to combine, and let everything simmer together for 2 minutes. Then, add the eggs and season with salt.
Using a spatula, gently break the yolks and fold the eggs into the tomato base.
Cook covered for 2 to 3 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat while the eggs are still slightly underdone.
Spoon the liquid cream cheese generously over the mixture, spreading it with the back of the spoon. Place the pan back on low heat and cook covered until the cheese spread melts gently into the mixture and the egg mixture is cooked perfectly.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and bring the pan straight to the table. Lahsa waits for no one...serve immediately with warm bread for scooping.
💡Serving Suggestions
Lahsa is traditionally a breakfast dish, but it works well as a weekend brunch or a quick weeknight dinner. Here are a few of my favourite ways to serve it and dishes that pair naturally with it:
- Serve with warm malawah (a flaky, layered Yemeni flatbread)
- Kubz or any soft flatbread works well if mulawah isn't available.
- A simple cucumber salad on the side keeps the meal fresh and balanced.
☝️Your Lahsa recipe Questions, Answered (FAQs)
Yes, you can make the tomato base up to two days in advance and keep it in the fridge. When ready to eat, reheat the base over medium heat, then add the eggs fresh. Do not cook the eggs and cream cheese ahead of time. Lahsa is best eaten the moment it comes off the stove.
The most traditional and widely used options in Yemen and across the Gulf are Almarai liquid cream cheese and Puck cream cheese. Both are spreadable, mild, and designed to melt easily. Their consistency is slightly looser than cream cheese blocks, which is exactly what you want for lahsa. If you are outside the Gulf region, full-fat Philadelphia-style cream cheese is the closest substitute.
Both are egg-based dishes cooked in a spiced tomato base, but the key difference is in how the eggs are cooked. Shakshuka has the whole eggs poached in the sauce, with the yolks left intact and runny. Yemeni lahsa, by contrast, folds the eggs into the sauce, fully incorporating them. The defining feature of lahsa is also the cream cheese spooned on top.
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📖 Recipe Card
Lahsa Recipe | Yemeni Spiced Eggs with Creamy Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced finely
- 3 to 5 green chillies, chopped finely
- 2 garlic cloves, optional
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped roughly
- ¼ cup water
- 3 to 4 large eggs
- salt to taste
- 3 to 5 tablespoon cream cheese, spreadable, (see notes)
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the ghee and olive oil together in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Once the ghee has melted, add the chopped onion and green chillies and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and lightly golden at the edges.1 tablespoon ghee1 tablespoon olive oil1 large onion sliced finely3 to 5 green chillies chopped finely
- Stir in the minced garlic (if using) and sauté until fragrant, taking care not to let the garlic brown.2 garlic cloves optional
- Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and paprika (if using). Stir continuously for 30 seconds to let the spices coat the onion mixture and release their aroma.¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (optional)1 teaspoon cumin powder1 teaspoon coriander powder1 teaspoon paprika powder
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cook partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until they break down and the mixture turns deep and jammy.2 medium-sized tomatoes chopped roughly
- Pour in the water, stir to combine, and let it simmer for 2 minutes to bring the sauce together.¼ cup water
- Crack the eggs one at a time into a small bowl and then add them to the pan. This lets you check for shell fragments and spot any bad eggs before they reach the dish. Season each egg with a little salt.3 to 4 large eggssalt to taste
- Using a spatula, gently break the yolk and stir it into the tomato base. You want them incorporated but not fully scrambled. Cook covered for 2 to 3 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat while the eggs are still slightly underdone.
- Whisk the cream cheese with a little water or milk until it reaches a smooth, scoopable consistency. Spoon it generously and spread it over the surface of the eggs with the back of the spoon.3 to 5 tablespoon cream cheese spreadable, (see notes)
- Place the pan back on low heat and cook covered until the cheese spread melts gently into the mixture and the egg mixture is cooked perfectly.
- Garnish with the fresh coriander and bring the pan straight to the table. Serve immediately with warm malawah, pita, or any flatbread for scooping.2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves chopped
Video
Notes
Nutrition Info
Inspired and adapted from Chef JJ's viral video.
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